Anchor weight traveller



y 30, 1961 F. J. GIBSON 2,986,112

ANCHOR WEIGHT TRAVELLER Filed March 9, 1959 Attorney 2,986,112 ANCHOR WEIGHT TRAVELLER Francis James Gibson, 543 Gorgie Road,

' Edinburgh, Scotland Filed Mar. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 798,030

Claims priority, application Great Britain Apr. 1, 1958 7 Claims. 01. 114-215 This invention relates to anchor weight travellers for use with anchor chains of light water craft.

Normally-a light water craft, when anchored in squally weather or rough seas, is subjected to a certain amountof snubbing, snatching and yawing caused by successive slackening and 'tensionin'g' of the anchor chain,

which may cause breakage of the chain, dragging of the anchor, and considerable noise inside the craft.

Anchor weight travellers have been proposed comprising a weight which can'be slid down the anchor chain part-way to the anchor, and in that positionit acts to cushion the snubbing movements in similar manner to aspring or shock absorber. Q

In some previously proposed types of anchor weight travellers, it has proved diflicult in practice to attach it to or detach it from theanchor chain, and an object of the present invention is to provide a traveller which obviates or mitigates this difliculty and may be handled by one person.

According to the present invention I provide an anchor weight traveller comprising two cooperating members capable of relative opening and closing movement and adapted to embrace an anchor chain, means for suspending said traveller, means for automatically maintaining said cooperating members open when the traveller is suspended with its weight clear of the anchor chain, and means for automatically closing said members when they embrace the chain and the traveller weight bears on the chain.

Preferably said cooperating members are relatively pivotal and comprise an eye member for beating on said chain and having a gap and a latch for opening or closing said gap.

The traveler may include a manually operable handle mounted at the pivotal axis of the eye member and latch for suspending the traveller.

Preferably the rope or the like is attached at the pivotal axis of eye member and latch for suspending the traveller.

In use, a rope, halyard or other tackle from the craft is secured to the traveller to position same at the required point on the chain and for use in lowering and pulling-in the traveller. The attachment point on the traveller is preferably the eye of an eyebolt which forms the pivot between the latch and eye member and also the pivot for a carrying handle.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described simply by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an anchor weight traveller according to the present invention with parts removed for clearness, the eye member being shown in chain dotted line in the position it assumes to open the gap;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the traveller in perspective with the loading removed for clearness, and one arm of the latch means shown in chain dotted line;

Fig. 3 is a perspective elevation of the traveller positioned for attachment to or removal from an anchor chain by means of a handle;

Fig. 4 is a perspective elevation of the traveller tioned for attachment to or removal from an anchor by alternative means to that of Fig. 3, and Y Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the traveller in operative posiiton on ananchor chain. Y i

The anchor weight traveller consists of a pivotal eyemember 4 having a gap 5 closable by a'latch device,-the

eye 4, in use, being 'slidably hung on the anchor chain 6' (Figs. 1, 4 and 5) and also being securable to a sea craft by a rope 8.

The eye 4 is of substantially inverted U-shape, one leg 9 being longer thanthe other 10 and having a forked end 11 (Fig. 4 )pivoting at the latch. The latter consistsof a bell crank lever ,of which, when the traveller is'inuse on the chain 6, one arm 12 is loaded by weight 13' so' as to tend to extend downwardly, the other arm 14 bridging said gap 5. The bell crank lever and also the. eye 4'are freely pivotal on a spindlein the form of-an eye bolt 15 which passes therethrough and also through the journals 16 of au-shaped carrying handle 17. Eye'- bolt 15 is secured in place by a nut 18 and split pin-"1 9,

and the rope 8 aforesaid 'is tied to the eye of said eye bolt. As a result, when the traveller is suspended, the" weight 13 tends to maintain latch arm 14 always at the same attitude, in 'space,.='and suspension of the whole from the spindle end gives' it a tilt which presents'the" eye member and-its gap in an attitude more normal to the? direction of the chain between craft and anchor.

Location of the traveller on the chain is eifected by' suspending the traveller from the rope, so'that thega'p" is opened automatically by tilting of eye member 4 rela tive to the latch as in Figs. 1 and 4 (the latch remaining upright), and then lowering the open eye member on to the chain. When the top of the eye begins to bear down on the chain, this causes upward pivotal movement of the eye to close the gap (as in Figs. 1 and S), and the device can be allowed to slide down the chain and hangs thereon at the required position governed by the length of rope 8 which is payed out.

To remove the traveller from the chain 6, the former is first drawn up along the chain by the rope 8 to the side of the craft, the top of the eye riding along the chain. Rope 8 is then pulled vertically, lifting the eye up from the chain and thus permitting it to pivot over about the eye bolt as in Fig. 4. Arm 14 of the latch still remains in its position under the influence of the weight, and thus the gap 5 is opened and the traveller can be removed.

The leg 10 of the eye 4 is provided with a recess 21 (Fig. 1) into which the arm 14 can fit. Thus, when the eye pivots over about the eye bolt to open the gap, the arm 14 fits into said recess and abuts against the leg 9 thus, by the inertia of weight 13, retaining the eye in this position. The eye may then be attached to or removed from the anchor chain.

The carrying handle 17 is provided with an inwardly extending stop 20, which when the handle is in use as in Fig. 3, abuts against the eye to induce pivotal movement therein and thus to open the gap. When the handle is released the top of the eye returns to its position riding on the chain and the gap is thus closed. If convenient the handle may be used either in the initial stages of applying the traveller to the chain or in the final stages of removal of the traveller from the chain. The handle may also be used for manual transportation of the traveller.

The anchor weight traveller, which can be made conveniently of metal, may be adapted for more convenient use on either starboard or port side of the how by reversing the position of the journals 16 of the handle on the eye bolt 15, when using the handle and if using the rope 8, by reversing eye bolt 15 relative to the latch and chaineye member. Fig. 1 shows the gap opening to the opposite side of the anchor chain. to thatin Figs- 3 to 5.,

The weight used to load the latch is preferably detachable so that different weights may be used, in accordance with the circumstances Moreover, any appropriate weight device may be used.

I claim:

1. An anchor weight traveller for. location on an anchor chain, comprising an eye member which is slidable on such chain, said eye member having a gap, a latch for opening or closing said gap, said eye member being adapted to-embrace an anchor chain the chain entering the eye member through said gap, a. spindle on which said eye member and latch are freely movable relative to each, other for said opening or closing, means on said spindle for suspending the traveller, and a weight attached to said latch to tend to maintain same at a predetermined attitude in space, the eye member when suspended freely' leaving said gap open and when borne by the chain lying at an attitude in which said latch closes said gap.

2. An anchor weight traveller as claimed in claim 1, including a manually operable handle mounted on said spindle and turnable relative to said eye member and latch.

3. An anchor weight traveller comprising an eye member of substantially U-shape having one arm longer than the other and the two defining a gap between them, a latch for opening and closing the gap between the two arms of the U-shaped member, a spindle on which said longer arm and said latch are pivotally' mounted, means for suspension of the traveller adjacent said spindle, a handle mounted on said spindle and pivotal thereabout, and an arm extending from said latch and adapted to carry 4 1 a weight for tending to position the latch in a predetermined attitudev abuttingonsaid eye. member inthe clns: ing position.

4. An anchor weight traveller as claimed in claim 3, in which said handle has an abutment which when the handle is lifted forces said eye member to pivot to the open position.

5. An anchor weight traveller comprisingan eye member for embracing an anchor chain and having an opening therein for entry of the chain,,a latch device; for opening or closing said opening, a spindle on which said eye member and said latch device are mounted to permit relative pivotal movement therebetween, means for suspending the traveller; and a weight attachedto; said latch said handle are mounted for relative pivotal movement thereon, ,a weight attached to. the otherv arm of saidlbell crank lever to maintain same. at a predetermined attitude in space. relative. to the spindle, and means atone end of said spindle for, suspension of the traveller..

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Mead Sept. 6', 1927 Mead Apr-r16," 1929 

